 |
| Directed by James Gunn Written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman |
Each of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films has been a financial success, but while the idea of a live action comic style continuity spread across several disparate genres might seem to be an insane risk, or at least used to, each of it's component parts has had something to draw on as far as an audience is concerned, aside from comic fans that is.
Sure, Iron Man might have been a character that not many people outside of comics fandom had ever heard of, but the movie had Robert Downey Jr's star power to get people in seats. The Incredible Hulk had fans of the 70s' TV show, Captain America was known as a cartoonish symbol of wartime American patriotism, even Thor might have been known from Norse mythology if nothing else, and The Avengers had the novelty of seeing all those suddenly well known characters in the same movie together, and writer/director Joss Whedon's passionate following. A following that carried over to TV spin-off Agents of SHIELD, not for very long, but it was there when the pilot ran.*
Guardians of the Galaxy on the other hand, will be the first real test of whether the Marvel name alone is enough to fill a theater at this point. There aren't many name stars besides Vin Disel, who is never on screen, and maybe Chris Pratt, people usually don't see space operas in theaters unless they are named Star Wars or Trek, and the comic it's based on isn't very successful even by the standards of modern comic sales. It probably helps that it is opening basically unopposed, and that last week's action holdovers have had mixed word of mouth.
Anyways, our story concerns one Peter Quill, a man abducted by aliens as a child that has made himself into a Han Solo by way of Indiana Jones adventurer by the name of Star Lord. After he steals a particular magic rock, he finds himself the target of Ronan the Accuser, a villain that needs said artifact to destroy a planet that he has a grudge against. Quill is hunted by Ronan's assassin Gamora for the magic rock, and bounty hunters Rocket the space raccoon and Groot the tree man for a price on his head. They all end up being arrested and taken to prison where they meet Drax, a massive man with a grudge against Ronan. They decide to team up, escape, and sell the rock and split the money. Then they find it contains an Infinity Stone, an all powerful macguffin that explains why Ronan wanted it in the first place.
This is probably the most out there Marvel movie to date, abandoning the superhero sub genre entirely for a space opera in the mold of Star Wars or The Fifth Element. It accomplishes this very well courtesy of writer/director James Gunn, who I now want to handle a Star Wars picture somewhere down the line. The design of the various locations, starships, and devices are bursting with imagination, and it's easily some of the most original stuff I've seen on screen all year.
The cast is terrific, Chris Pratt does a fantastic job as Star Lord, perfectly embodying the archetype of a charismatic space outlaw. Dave Batista as Drax gives off a likable charm and his hyper literal affectation provides some of the film's funniest moments. The real standouts however, are Vin Disel and Bradley Cooper as Groot and Rocket respectively. They are, pardon the pun, marvels of voice work and motion capture, and it's amazing how much emotional attachment they get out of a raccoon and a tree man. Groot in particular becomes the emotional center of the film, Disel and the animators play him as a cross between a gentle giant and a loyal guard dog, and it is unbelievable how well this works. If there is a weak link among the main cast, it's Zoe Saldana as Gamora, but that's no fault of the actress, the script just doesn't give her much to work with.
Guardians of the Galaxy is the best kind of summer movie, putting likable characters in thrilling situations amid gorgeous 3-D justifying spectacle. It's the kind of stuff that usually doesn't come out anymore, and it's a welcome change of pace from the usual fare. Eventually, one of these things is going to not be up to snuff, but probably not for a while.
Have a nice day.
Greg.B
*Seriously though, SHIELD got a lot better after Winter Soldier came out. When it gets to DVD, just skip episodes 2 through 9 and you'll be fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment